Michael R. McDonald

Mike is a litigator and policy specialist with experience practicing in federal and state courts and working with clients—from global companies to nonprofit organizations and state entities—on high-stakes matters, including complex commercial disputes, structured finance litigation and litigation involving securitized assets, appellate litigation, constitutional litigation, investigations and white collar defense, and election disputes. Mike pursues clients’ legal and public policy interests creatively and strategically, and is best at unpacking thorny issues of procedure, jurisdiction, regulatory law, and contract interpretation.

Mike also led the Office of Policy for the Pennsylvania Department of State, where he advised the Secretary and Governor on proposed legislation and regulations, policy trends, stakeholder engagement, communications strategy, and programmatic initiatives pertaining to election administration, professional and occupational licensing, and corporations and other business organizations.

While a law student, Mike volunteered providing legal services to individuals experiencing homelessness, and he worked with the Pennsylvania state civil rights enforcement agency; the Asociación Civil de la Igualdad y la Justicia in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and with the Brennan Center for Justice, researching campaign finance and legislative redistricting law. Mike also is proud to have been editor-in-chief of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, a teaching fellow in his school’s legal writing program, and a finalist in the Keedy Cup, an appellate advocacy moot court competition.